Door fastener keeper



July 3, 1956 Filed Sept. 18, 1953 E. G. FORSSELL. EJSS DOOR FASTENER KEEPER July 3, 1956 E. G. FORSSELL DOOR FASTENER KEEPER 3 Sheets-Sheei 2 Filed Sept. 18, 1953 EN@ G Rmm. #7

dimi/g July 3, 1956 E. G. FoRssELl.

DOOR FASTENER KEEPER 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. 18, 1953 InVen//or: Eric @.Zrssel. w@

DR FASTENER KEEPER Eric G. Forssell, Kenmore, N. Y., assigner to W. H. Miner, liuc., Chicago, ill., a corporation of Delaware Application September 13, 1953, Serial No. 381,001

9 Claims. (Cl. 292 341.17)

This invention relates to improvements in door fastener keeper.

One object of the invention is to provide a door fastener keeper having a pocket accommodating the keeper engaging member of the door fastener and within which it operates to force the door open or closed, wherein the keeper includes a section forming a Wall of the pocket, which section is swingable to out of the Way position to free said keeper engaging member from the pocket.

Another object of the invention is to provide a keeper for the crank pin of the rotary crank member type of `door fastener, having a pocket within which the crank member operates and within which the crank pin is confined by a displaceable front wall forming a permanent part of the keeper, which Wall may be manually displaced to open the pocket to free the crank pin.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide in a keeper particularly adapted for use with the keeper engaging crank pin of a rotary crank member type of door fastener, operated by the outer door member of a pair of articulated inner and outer door members, the inner door member of which is hingedly supported, displaceable means for confining the crank pin of the keeper engaging member Within the keeper to positively prevent the inner of the articulated door members from being swung open when it is desired to open only the outer of the articulated members, and which means, when manually displaced, irees the crank pin to be removed from the keeper and thereby permit opening of the inner door member in addition to the outer door member of said articulated pair of door members.

A more speciiic object of the invention is to provide a keeper of the character set forth in the preceding paragraph, including a transverse rear member and a swingable pivoted yokelike front member, comprising parallel side arms connected at their outer ends by a transverse end section, said yokelike member having the transverse end section thereof opposed to the transverse rear member with the arms of said yokelike member extending toward said transverse rear member, the latter, the side arms, and transverse end section forming the rear, side, and front walls of the crank pin receiving pocket of the keeper, with which front and rear Walls of the pocket said crank pin is engageable to respectively pry the inner member of the articulated door members open and force the same closed, the yokelike member being positioned to confine the crank pin within the keeper to positively prevent the inner of the articulated door members from being swung open when it is desired to open only the outer of the articulated members, and being swingable to pendent out of the way position to free the crank pin for movement out of the keeper to permit opening of the inner, in addition to the outer, of said articulated inner and outer door members.

Other objects of the invention will more clearly appear from the description and claims hereinafter following.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this r1"ire specification, Figure l is an elebational view, partly broken away, of the side wall of a refrigerator car having a door opening closed by a door structure comprising a plurality of hinged door members provided with fastening means, illustrating my improved keeper in connection therewith.

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional View, corresponding substantially to the line 2 2 of Figure l.

Figure 3 is a front elevational view of my improved keeper on an enlarged scale, showing the same in the closed position illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a top plan view of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a View similar to Figure 3, showing the keeper opened.

Figure 6 is a top plan view of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a transverse Vertical sectional view, corresponding substantially to the line 7 7 of Figure 4.

Figure 8 is a vertical sectional view, corresponding substantially to the line 8 8 of Figure 6.

Figure 9 is a top plan view of the back plate of my improved keeper.

Figure 10 is a front elevational view of Figure 9.

Figures ll and l2 are top plan views of the side brackets of my improved keeper.

Figure 13 is a side elevational View of .Figure 1l, looking from left to right in said figure.

Figure 14 is a side elevational View of Figure l2, looking from right to left in said ligure.

Figure l5 is a front elevational view of Figure 1l.

Figure 16 is a front elevational view of Figure l2.

Figure 17 is a View similar to Figure 3, with the yokelike front member of the keeper removed.

ln said drawings, 10 designates the side wall of a refrigerator car, provided' with a door opening 11, closed by a hinged door structure comprising a single door member 12, and inner and outer, articulated. door members 13 and 14, the door member 12 being swingingly supported, as seen in Figure l, at its right hand end, on the wall of the car by the usual hinges, and having a rotary fastener 1S at the left hand or inner end cooperating with the usual top and bottom keepers 16 and 17, and the door member 13 of the articulated members 13 and 14 being swingingly supported at its left hand or outer end by the usual hinges. The keeper 17 carries a pivoted latch plate 18, which is engageable over the lower right hand corner of the adjacent door member 14 to lock the latter in closed position.

The articulated door members 13 and 14 are connected to each other by hinges 19-19. Each hinge 19 comprises a pair of hinge leaves 20 20 Xed, respectively, to the door members 13 and 14. The leaf 20 of each hinge, which is connected to the door member 14, is provided with an integral keeper engaging cam member 21, the cam member 21 of the bottom hinge member depending therefrom and that of the top hinge member upstanding from the same and being engageable with a top keeper Z2 secured to the Wall of the car above the door members. Each keeper engaging member 21 includes a horizontally extending, radial arm 23, having a crank pin 24 at its outer end, the crank pin of the bottom keeper depending from the arm 23 and that ot the top keeper being opstanding.

In carrying out my invention, I provide a bottom keeper A comprising a back plate B, a pair of supporting brackets C C, and a front plate or yoke strap D.

The back plate B of the keeper A is of substantially rectangular outline, as shown most clearly in Figures l0 and 17, and presents a concavely curved :front face, providing a cam surface 25. Laterally protruding retaining lugs 26 26 are carried by the plate B at the bottom end thereof, each lug comprising a laterally extending,

horizontalsection 27 and a short connecting section 28 depending from the plate.

The supporting brackets C-C are of substantially the same design, one being left and the other right. Each supporting bracket C is in the form of an angle plate comprising a substantially liat, vertically elongated, forwardly extending section 29, and a laterally outwardly extending right angular securing ear 30 at the rear of the section 29. The section 29 of each bracket C extends below the lower edge of the corresponding ear 30, and has a rearwardly directed lug 31 at its lower end portion underlying the'ear 30. The lug 31 is spaced from the lower edge of the ear 3i) to an appreciable extent, thus providing a notch 32, adapted to be engaged over and accommodate the lug 26 at the corresponding side of the plate B. The ear of each bracket C is perforated, as indicated at 33, to receive a securing element for fixing the bracket in place on the Wall of the car, and the section 29 is provided with a bearing opening 34 for a purpose hereinafter described.

The front plate or yoke strap D comprises a pair of relatively short side arms 35-35 and a transversely extending, elongated connecting front wall section 36. The side arms 35-35 are provided with laterally outwardly extending trunnions 37-37 for pivotally supporting the yoke strap.

The assembled keeper A has the back plate B thereof abutting the car wall, the same being held in place by the securing brackets C-C, which are fixed to the wall 10 by bolts, or other securing elements 38-38, extending through the ears -30 thereof, and have the lower ends of the sections 29--29 thereof overlying the lugs 26-26 of the back plate B, with the lugs seated in the notches 32-32. The yoke strap D is swingingly supported between the brackets C-C, the arms S-3S being interposed between the brackets C-C and the ends of the plate B, the trunnions 377-37 being engaged' in the bearing openings 34-34 of said brackets. in the closed condition of the keeper A, as shown in Figures l, 2, 3, and 4, the wall section 3.6 of the yoke strap D is opposed to the back plate B, thus providing a closed pocket for the keeper engaging crank member of the door fastener, the pocket being dened by the plate B, the wall section 36, and the two side arms 35-3S- They yoke strap D is provided with an elongated pivoted handle lever 39 by which it is manipulated. The lever 39 is pivoted to the lower side of the `Wall section 36, as shown most clearly in Figures 3, 4, 7, and 8 by a pivot pin 40 in the form of a screw extending through the inner end of the lever arm and into said wall. The lever 39 is swingable in a horizontal path, as shown in Figures 3, 4, and 7, and is locked to the right hand bracket C to prevent opening of the socket Vof the keeper by displacement of the yoke strap D, the right hand bracket C being provided with a seat 41 at the forward side thereof within which the handle lever 39 is engaged. To retain the handle lever 39 in the notch, a pivotedl latch finger 42 is provided, which is supported at its upper end on a pivot pin 43, 'fixed in the right hand bracket C. The latch finger 42, when in pendent position as shown in Figure 3, closes the seat 41 and engages over they handle lever 39 to confine the same within the seat 41.

Assuming that the door members 12, 13, and 14 are closed, as shown in Figure 1, and the keeper locked, as shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7, that is, with the yoke strap in thehorizontal position shown, the keeper engaging crank pin 24 of the keeper engaging cam member 21 is confined within the keeper. After the door member 12 has beenl opened inthe usual manner, the door member 14 may be opened, if desired. To open the door member 14, the latch 18 is swung clear of this door member to free the same for swinging movement on the door member 13. As the door member 14 is swung open, the lower crank pin 24 ofthe cam member 21, being rigid with the hinge leaf 20, rotates with the door member 14 and is moved over the cam surface 25 of the back plate B of the keeper to pry the door member 13 outwardly. With the crank pin confined in the pocket of the keeper by the yoke strap D, opening of the door member 13 is positively prevented and the door member 14 may be swung to fully open position on the door member 13, independently of the latter.

When both door members 13 and 14 are to be opened, the attendant rst unlatches the handle lever 39 by swinging the latch linger 42 clear of the seat 41 and the handle lever 39. r[he lever 39 is then swung forwardly to substantially right angular position with respect to the wall of the car and dropped or forced downwardly toward the position shown in Figures 5, 6, and 8, thus swinging the yoke strap D downwardly and moving the wall section 36 out of the way to free the crank pin 24. When the pocket of the keeper A has thus been opened, the crank pin 24 of the keeper engaging cam member 21 is free to leave the pocket of the keeper and the door member 13 may be swung open with the door member 14.

In closing the doormembers 13 and 14, the same are swung inwardly toward the door opening, while the keeper is in the open position shown in Figures 5, 6, and 8. After the crank pin 24 of the keeper engaging cam member 21 has passed into the pocket of the keeper, the keeper is closed by swinging the yoke strap D upwardly by the handle lever 39 from the position shown in Figures 5, 6, and 8 to the position shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7, thus closing the keeper pocket and confining the crank pin 24 of the keeper engaging cam member 21 in said pocket. The yoke strap D is then locked in positionA by swinging thehandle lever 39 into the seat 41 of the keeper A and locking it in that position by the latch finger 42. With the keeper thus locked, the door member 14 is forced inwardly to closed position, thereby forcing the crank pin Z4 of the cam member 21 against the wall section 36 of the yoke strap D and camming the door member 13 to tightly closed position.

I claim:

1. In a keeper for a rotary keeper engaging crank pin actuated by one of the door members of a two member articulated hinged door, the combination with a back wall member; of a front wall member opposed to said back .wall member and spaced therefrom to provide a pocket adapted to receive the crank pin, said front wall member being pivoted at opposite ends for swinging movement on a horizontal axis .downwardly to out of the way position to open said keeper andk free the crank pin to be moved out Vof said keeper.

2. In a keeper for a rotary keeper engaging crank pin actuated by one of the door members of a two member articulated hinged door, the combination with a back wall; of a front wall spaced forwardly from said back wall; inwardly extending, laterally spaced side arms on said front wall pivoted for swinging movement on a horizontal axis, said back wall, front wall, and side arms defining a pocket within which said crank pin is engageable; andi an operating lever handle on said front wall for swinging the sameon its pivots to permit disengaging the crank pin from the keeper.

3. Ina keeper for a rotary keeper engaging crank pin actuated by one of the door members of a two member articulated hinged door, the combination with a back wall; of ra front wall spaced forwardly from said back wall; inwardly extending, laterally spaced side arms on said front wall pivoted for swinging movement on a horizontal axis, said back wall, front wall, and side arms defining a pocket within which said'V crank pin is engageable; an operating lever handle on said front wall for swinging thel same on its pivots; and a seat in said keeper, said lever handle beingprivotally supported on said front wall and being engageable within said seat to lock said lever handle and'y front wallv against movement.

4. n a keeper for a rotary keeper engaging crank pin actuated by one of the door members of a two member articulated hinged door, the combination with a back Wall; of a front wall spaced forwardly from said back wall; inwardly extending, laterally spaced side arms on said front wall pivoted for swinging movement on a horizontal axis, said back wall, front wall, and side arms dening a pocket within which said crank pin is engageable; an operating lever handle on said front wall for swinging the same on its pivots; a seat in said keeper, said lever handle being pivotally supported on said front wall and being engageable within said seat to lock said lever handle and front wall against movement; and a latch plate engageable over said lever handle for holding the same engaged within said seat.

5. In a keeper for a rotary keeper engaging crank pin of a crank member actuated by the outer door member of a pair of hingedly supported, articulated, inner and outer door members, the combination with a back wall having a forwardly facing cam face engageable by said crank pin for forcing said inner door member open when the crank member is rotated; of a yoke strap having a pair of side arms; and a transverse front wall connecting said side arms, said front wall being engageable by the crank pin for forcing said inner door member closed, said side arms being pivotcd at their inner ends for swinging movement about a horizontal axis to support said yoke strap for swinging movement in downward direction to open said keeper.

6. In a keeper for a rotary keeper engaging crank pin of a crank member actuated by the outer door member of a pair of hingedly supported, articulated, inner and outer door members, the combination with a back wall having7 a forwardly facing cam face engageable by said crank pin for forcing said inner door member open when the crank member is rotated; of a yoke strap having a pair of side arms; a transverse front wall connecting said side arms, said front wall being engageable by the crank pin for forcing said inner door closed, said side arms being pivoted at their inner ends for swinging movement about a horizontal axis to support said yoke strap for swinging movement in downward direction to open said keeper; and a lever arm on said yoke strap for manipulating the same.

7. In a keeper for the crank pin of a door fastener mechanism, the combination with a back wall having a forwardly facing cam face engageable by said crank pin and having laterally extending lugs at opposite ends thereof; of a pair of securing brackets at the opposite ends of said back wall engaged over said lugs to hold the same against outward displacement; a yoke strap having inwardly extending side arms and a transverse front wall section opposed to said back wall cam face; and journal means on said side arms supporting said yoke strap on said brackets for swinging movement about a horizontal axis.

8. In a keeper for the crank pin of a door fastener mechanism, the combination with a back plate having a forwardly facing cam face engageable b'y said crank pin and having laterally extending lugs at opposite ends; of a pair of securing brackets at opposite ends of said back plate engaged over and seated against said lugs; transversely aligned journal bearing openings in said brackets; and a yoke strap having trunnions at opposite sides thereof journaled in said bearing openings of said brackets.

9. In a keeper for the crank pin of a door fastener mechanism, the combination with a back plate having a forwardly facing cam face engageable by said crank pin and having laterally extending lugs at opposite ends; of a pair of securing brackets at opposite ends of said back plate engaged over and seated against said lugs; transversely aligned journal bearing openings in said brackets; and a yoke strap having inwardly extending, laterally spaced side arms connected at their front ends by a trans verse wall member; and laterally projecting trunnions on the side arms at the inner ends thereof journaled in said bearing openings of said brackets.

References Cited in the iile of this paient UNITED STATES PATENTS 982,633 Randon Jan. 24, 1911 1,536,110 Lewis May 5, 1925 1,835,100 Symington Dec. 8, 1931 2,205,156 Rowley June 18, 1940 2,381,633 Young Aug. 7, 1945 

